Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Eco Sanctuary

We returned to Costa Rica and went to the Osa Peninsula for the first time. The Nicuesa Lodge was the highlight of our trip. Beautiful and remote. Wildlife and adventures. The food was fresh and delicious. But most of all was the warmth of the staff. They made this lodge special. Thank you Hazel and everyone at Nicuesa!

Loved it. 120% rating! -Family of 5 (mom/dad, and kids 15, 12, 6) -Hazel is a great leader; she creates a family feel w/staff, very positive energy -Guides and staff are nice and smart! -Amazing home cooked food 3X a day -Awe-inspiring nature and wildlife

This place is great! The lodge and accommodations are lovely. There are hikes through the jungle and the marine life was amazing. just walking out on the pier we saw a wide variety of sea life. The food was outstanding and meals are served at a long table where you interact with the other guests from all over the world. The staff was super attentive and we give a special shout-out to Oscar. A smart and knowledgeable young man who grew up in the area. He lead birding tours and was our fishing guide along with a captain. while fishing one morning, Oscar and the captain, Harold, spotted a turtle. as we motored close to it they quickly saw it was two turtles that were all wound up together in fishing line. They spent 20 minutes hanging over the boat while holding the turtles and getting them freed.

Our stay at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge was the highlight of our visit to Costa Rica. The Lodge takes a relatively small number of people and provides genuinely warm hospitality - they make you feel welcome guests in a lovely home. If you are interested in the Costa Rican wildlife, and in eating freshly cooked, delicious, relatively local food - this is the place for you! The lodges/rooms are set into the forest, so you are surrounded by wonderful plants and animals all the time. There are well-maintained trails that give you miles of walking through wonderful ecosystems. Gardens provide havens for huge numbers of butterfly species and humming birds, and the beach the ecosystem is different again. Everywhere chilled water is available to fill your water bottle, a real bonus in the hot, humid climate. The rooms have silent, effective ceiling fans which mean the lack of aircon is no problem - in fact you really get the sense of where you are staying, rather than being observers from cool rooms. We slept really well there. The meals are served at a communal table unless you request otherwise - we weren't sure about this until we experienced it. The variety of interesting people we met and chatted to, from so many different countries, was an added bonus to the whole stay. All of the staff - from the guides to the bar staff, the gardeners and the cleaners - were welcoming and were all knowledgeable about the wildlife - sharing sightings of animals from frogs and hawks to bats, snakes, humming bird nests and puma! If you are looking to sit by a pool and then retreat to an air-conditioned room, then this is not the place for you - but if you want an amazing experience of time in the Costa Rican rainforest with all it has to offer in terms of hospitality and biodiversity, you will love it here. Nicuesa will always be a cherished memory for us, and we will return to visit them again!

We visited as a family with an 8 yr old and 10 yr old. We had a wonderful and relaxing stay. The food was amazing and plentiful. The staff were extremely accommodating. Shout out to Stefan, Manuel, Stephanie, Jon Carlo. My husband and son went fishing and they prepared the fish they caught. We did chocolate making and the chocolates are delicious. The sustainability tour was very interesting as well. The clothes drying was genius! If you want authentic jungle living, this is the place. It is not for everyone. Nothing dries, there are bugs, it is dark, it is remote. The food is delicious but there is not a variety of food choices. You get what chef makes. Not recommended for young children.

If you are looking for a truly rustic "eco-lodge" this is the place for you. The lodge is fully contained, from supplying their own water to their laundry service that uses an incredibly efficient "solar dryer" and use of a fan instead of AC. All the bungalows are deep in the forest. Activities that we would recommend are the mangrove safari either by boat or kayak and the waterfall hike. Birds are abundant as are reptiles and various interesting insects. The people that work there make this a truly special experience. Our primary guide was Steven. He is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the flora and fauna that are found at the Lodge and in the neighboring national park. He is particularly adept at finding and identifying birds. Michelle is the yoga instructor and masseuse. She is exceptional. Having a great massage on a platform that is on the beach is terrific. The wait staff led by Caesar is exuberant and provide terrific service that is matched by tasty meals. Even the boat captain Memo, is warm and skilled at navigating the tricky parts of the mangrove estuary.